Count the number of squares in the figure below.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → 17
The figure is a grid of small squares with one corner square missing. Count the squares size by size, leaving out every square that would need the missing part.
1 × 1 squares: 11
2 × 2 squares: 5
3 × 3 squares: 1
Total \(=11+5+1=17\) squares.
Why the other options are incorrect
Option (1) 12 — Incorrect. This leaves out the 5 2 × 2 squares.
Option (3) 16 — Incorrect. This leaves out the only 3 × 3 square.
Option (4) 20 — Incorrect. This counts the squares of a full 4 × 3 grid, as if the missing corner square were drawn.